Developing Health Management Information Systems: A Practical Guide for Developing Countries
Over the years, most of the health systems developed are either technology-driven or adopted without due consideration to local settings. WHO published the Developing Health Management Information System: A Guide for Developing Countries aimed at providing a set of practical guidelines for health managers and designers of health information a logical approach to develop HIS taking into account a country-specific setting. The document was designed to be a quick-and-easy and user-friendly reference for HMIS development with focus on application. It provides a general overview of the principles, steps and issues involved in the development of health management information systems. The simple and direct approach together with worksheets enable staff to follow the steps systematically. The prospective users of this document are information staff and health managers at national, provincial and even district levels who are actively involved in the development of HMIS, and decision-makers who do not have in-depth background on HMIS but need to have a general overview of HIS components so that they can oversee its development over time. The guide is a synthesis of experience on HMIS development efforts in a number of developing countries. The process focuses on identification and collection of relevant information needs based on priority health problems and ensures development work is systemized to avoid duplication of data collection systems.